Rex Larsen | The Grand Rapids PressTroy Garrow is led into court where is was sentenced to jail for stabbing a man he thought was attempting to rape his daughter.

GRAND RAPIDS – Troy Garrow, the big guy in the green jail jumpsuit, choked up a little bit when he asked his family and his stabbing victim to forgive him today.

“When I am released from jail, I plan to face my alcohol issues that have caused me problems time after time,” 37-year-old Garrow said right before Kent County Circuit Court Judge James Robert Redford sentenced him to six months behind bars at the Kent County Jail.

There had been a holiday gathering at the mobile home just south of 44th Street SW where video games and booze played a major role, according to all who reported being there on Dec. 26.

Garrow and Stradinger began to mix it up, then Garrow produced a knife and stabbed his buddy – who was never charged with any kind of sexual assault as a result of the incident.

Stradinger was not critically injured and, according to Garrow's attorney Valerie Foster, the two remain close friends.

“There's nothing worse than a combination of testosterone, alcohol and, in this case, Guitar Hero,” Foster told Redford. “As a parent, I can't blame Mr. Garrow for what he did , (but) he went a little above and beyond in this case.”

Garrow had originally been charged with assault with intent to murder, a 10-year felony, but after examining the facts of the case, prosecutors offered him a plea agreement which had him pleading guilty to felonious assault with a maximum sentence of 12 months, which would keep him out of prison.

Garrow has a criminal record that includes prison terms for arson, a drug offense and breaking and entering, according to state records. He was on parole at the time of this incident meaning he could end up back in prison anyway if the state decides he violated the terms of his release.